Amid allegations that he was present at Manhattan nightclub Duvet on the night of his friend’s murder, Fabolous recently sat down with the New York Daily News to clear the air. The Brooklyn MC had been relatively quiet about the November 23 incident up until now, opting to let his attorney respond to witness accounts that placed him at the nightspot a short time before 25-year old Shamel McKinney was fatally stabbed. In an exclusive interview with the Daily News, the rapper reiterated that he was at home with family celebrating Thanksgiving, and denied that his Street Family crew is a robbery ring. “On Thanksgiving, I think I came out of the house one time - to go get eggnog,” Fab told the News. “And there wasn’t any eggnog at Club Duvet.”

Police believe McKinney was killed after he tried to rob another man of $10,000 worth of jewelry. Anthony Taylor, a 26-year old Brooklyn man, was arrested in Georgia on December 4 in connection with the murder. Fab says he didn’t learn of his friend’s death until the following morning. “When you hear stuff happened to bad guys, you’re like, ‘Okay, yeah, it was coming to them,’” he explained. “Shamel’s not that kind of person. I was waiting to hear more of the story. Unfortunately, when I heard the story, I ended up being in it.” The rapper also denied the NYPD’s assertion that the Street Family preys on celebrities and unsuspecting clubgoers, saying that he does not support criminal activity in any way. “Most of the people that are around me work in association with what I do in the music business,” he told reporter Rich Schapiro. “I don’t have any hangers-on. I can’t really afford them.”